Tales of the Abyss: Promises
by DeltaMa
Summary: 4 months following the destruction of Eldrant, and the abolishment of the Score, a new threat is unwinding within Auldrant. Jade Curtiss and Guy Cecil are the only two who are aware of the unfolding dangers, or are they? JadexOC
1. Chapter 1 Finding Fortune

**Chapter 1: Finding Fortune**  
Winds howled like dying beasts as the sound of booming and crashing sang in the storm over the land as if it were a lalubye to the wavering world of the Theor Forest. It was without a doubt a hurricane like no other that had ever hit Grand Chokmah with such displeasure. The destruction in it's wake had forced citizens to leave for cities and providences in land. The Emperor and the Military always had to stay, and after a hurricane they were on full blown duty, repairing damages and finding better ways to protect from high waves slamming mercilessly into the Fortress City. It wasn't long before citizens began to return home, and aid in the city's restoration projects.

It was times like this though that Jade wished he was absent from the city, and all it's inhabitants. Hurricanes had a cruel way of happening, and an even crueler way of destorying. The rain battered down in stinging waves the soldiers around him and himself. It didn't help that he was running against the high winds which only seemed to amplify the pain of the rain. Even heavily armored and clothed, the rain still bit at him like needles repeatedly pricking at his skin. Jade had removed his glasses before he'd entered the forest, so he wouldn't have to constantly be readjusting them.

"How much farther?" Guy huffed from behind, spitting out water that fell in his mouth.

Jade, wondering the same thing, shaking the wet hair off his face.

Guy had returned with him to Grand Chokmah, coming back to his duties as "royal rappig walker," as Peony had dubbed him. He took up residence in a mansion that had been funded for him by the Malkuthian Royal Treasury. Guy tried to make himself useful each and every day in the foreign city, From helping Peony with every days chores, to sometimes even accompanying Jade to a city with an uprising of crazed Score devotees. Guy could've stayed in Kimlasca, in Baticul where he could help the Fabre residence and so the Princess. Jade guessed though that Guy had come to Grand Chokmah to try and get his mind off of his friend, Luke.

Jade, too, had tried to take his mind off Luke, but Fomicry and all it's causes only came back with a devastating blow, leaving him with an undespensible guilt of responsibility. But Jade wasn't ashamed of it, he would gladly bare the sins of all the things he'd done in his past, and everything he'd done for as long as he lived.

"Reports say it was a few klicks into the forest's interior," one of the soldiers in front of them yelled back. "We shouldn't be to far from the area now!"

The words exchanged were almost uncomprehendeble, the stentorian rain and deafening thunder drowning out all other sounds. Brilliant flashes of lightning illuminated the faces of the men and the flooding ground beneath them as they ran farther into the forest. All was pitch black, and it was impossible to see anything if it weren't for the flashes of lightning and the fonstone beacons some of the men carried with them.

Jade held one tucked up in his right glove in case he needed an emergency light source. The heat of the stone warmed his soggy clothing and sodden skin. It was glowng dully in the fabric, and looked rather strange on his arm.

What was even stranger was what had happened in the forest earlier in the evening. There was evidence of it everywhere, a fight that had left broken and damged trees sprawled in a path leading all the way up to the gates which started the path to the Fortress City. Some areas where dotted with blood, and ground had been torn up with the angry fury of a battle. One man had been reported to have stumbled upon a poisen needle, and was rushed back to Grand Chokmah for medcial treatment while inspecting the scene of the brawl.

It was hard to imagine who and what had done this, and what had left without a trace as to who they even were. Jade tried to think of what could've done it, but nothing and no one he could think of could possibly do something like this.

Unless. . . Jade shook the thought off, wondering why she had come to mind. He thought of her often, but more and more lately he didn't, and when he did, his body grew anxious and unstable. It was hard to ratiocinate where she had possibly gone too and where she was now. Such thoughts left a cold lump in his chest, and he quickly shifted them to a less depriving manner.

When they reached the area Jade was astonished by the amount of damage, and could hardly beleive what he was seeing. Soldiers were scattered about, accesing the harm that had been done. Luckily other than the man whom had carelessly stumbled upon the poisen needle, there had been no other casualties. The smell of blood was heavy in the air, musty and stale like copper or metal. Whatever had come through here, must've been large or there had been several people involved. Guessing by the intensity of the breakage, the battle must've been fairly intense.

"What exactly did the reports say?" Jade questioned through the screaming wind. The trees swayed around them and lightning flashed revealing the areas of the most noticeable damage. Even through the dimly lite night, Jade could see where the areas of the most intense cessions of the battle had taken place.

Trees had been chopped clean in half as if by an extremely sharp and large weapon. The use of incantations and spells were evident where there were charred piles of ash and ground of crushed matter. Fonons were still fluctuating beneath them, drifting up from the ground and into the atmosphere. Jade looked at the ground beneath him, as lightning shimmered in cracks across the sky. The flash of light revealed small but long objects inbetween and surronding his toes. There weren't only one of two of them, but several, seven or nine of them. Sure enough there were needles.

Jade knelt down, pulling the fonstone beacon out from his glove. Guy noticed the movement, and leaned down next to him.

"So, I'm guessing those are one of the needles that the soldier must have stepped on," Guy said gruffly. The weather barring against them all must've been stirring something particularly in Guy which angered and or annoyed him.

"It would seem so," Jade said, guiding the beacon across the ground. The needles where almost pure white with golds and purples swimming around in the middle, giving Jade a sense of hostility coming from them. Without a doubt they were artificial weapons, more than likely composed of fonons. The ground around them was a dark purple, and the purple substence seemed to be burning the earth with a faint, but malicious hiss. Jade could only imagine what the weapons could do to human flesh. Whomever had been hit by one must be in agonizing pain, or if had escaped from the wrath of the enemy, was in deep distress and hadn't wandered off far from here.

"The nightshift guards said they heard some screams and yells, and saw some fonic artes and explosions going off in this general area," one of the soldiers around the two men said. He leaned down to look at the needles. "Sure enough when they got here there was destruction everywhere. They haven't found anyone or anything yet."

"That's impossible. Whatever happened here, who ever caused it shouldn't be hard to find," Jade growled, he stood from his kneeling position holding one of the needles cautiously between his fingers. "You've searched everywhere? In the craters, beneath the wrekage, even in the ditches...?"

The soldier paused, then shook his head. "No Colonel Curtiss, but we'll recheck again, sir."

Jade huffed. "We cannot allow whatever was here to enter the city, understood?"

The man nodded nervously, saluting. "Yes, Colonel," he said, and he trotted off to tell the other men of the Colonel's orders.

Still examining the needle, Jade turned to Guy without looking at him. He felt the strengh of the burn from the poison in the tiny effective weapon. "Whatever did this, cannot enter the city, theres no telling how much damage it could cause."

"Can't you summize anything?" Guy asked. "I mean, something this big, using something like a throwing needle? What could've done this?"

"More importantly what is their objective?" Jade replied. He burned the needle in his very hand with a mumbled incantaion, watching as the fonons disovled into glowing particles and drifting away in the air. He looked up at Guy, the crimson eyed Colonel looking for the first time in a few months, angry. "You and I must search for anything we can find."

Guy nodded, simply answered, "Yeah, be careful though." Guy shook his head solemnly. "Whatever did this is powerful, maybe even more than you." He grinned, waved to the older man and jogged off to inspect the scene.

Jade looked over and around the area once more, feeling helpless and frustrated. He sighed, hoping whatever was here, he could stop before anything was lost that couldn't be recovered. Jade didn't want to lose anything else of importance to himself or any other person for that matter. But his mind hadn't left her the whole day, and Jade could hardly stand it. He silently wished he knew where she was, why he'd lost her for this long and she'd never returned to him. If she were to return, would everything be the same as before when she had left?

He shook his head. It was time to let her go, it was for his own good. She was just a long lost friend, someone he'd never meet again. Jade bolted off in the direction of the others, ready to find what was looking for him.

Guy hated the rain when it got this violent. He hated the winds when they were this defeaning. But what Guy was beggining to realize was that he hated Jade. Guy had never been particuliarly fond of the aged man, but they had defeated Van together, and gone through much more with their friends. It meant something to him that Jade was his friend, and in a way, the Colonel did matter, despite his actions and or attitude.

Jade had been more and more bothersome lately, more frequent when he appeared and began more with his vexing jokes. More quite when they needed him to speak or let his opinion out. Jade wasn't his old self, and he hadn't been since the destruction of Eldrant, when he and the others had been dubbed Heroes of Auldrant. They were praised for their heroic acts, loved for their bravery and courage. His sarcasm was reduced when so many exspected him to be most irritible, and the usual smile he displayed that hid his thoughts and emotions had turned into a steady almost immovable flat frown.

Guy wondered if it'd been due to Lukes death, and still feeling the guilt of all he'd done. In a way, it was Jade's fault that everything had happened to Auldrant. Fomicry, replicas, Vans' plans.

Now that they had some time off, Guy guessed the man had been able to seriously think about the whole situation. If so, how much longer would it be until he was back to normal?

It had been a few hours, and nothing had been found, only more blood and even more destruction. Needles and holes in the earth were found around them, and where the missing chunks of earth began to multiply, havoc followed. Uprooted trees and their veins had been annihilated, and rocks and stone was crushed into thousands of tiny pieces. The fonon frequency surronding them was extremely high, and whomever had dispensed the fonons had probably run dry of power and blood. They'd determined that one of the combatants in the battle had indeed been a human, and that they probably hadn't made it far.

Jade ordered that the area be searched once more, hoping the body could be recovered. If it was, it was more than likely dead. No man looked forward to finding a dead body, there was no telling how mangled the body would be once found. The flooding waters would have dragged the body farther away than they could find. But Jade seemed more than determined to find the body. Guy knew it was for the safety of Emperor Peony. Now that the Score had been abolished, the country needed a strong leader to guide theirs minds and futures away from the old ways of the Score.

_Thats . . . strange_, Guy thought as he walked along the side of a chasm. Beneath, water was rushing quickly along the cliffs between it, the wind crashing it into rocks and stone.

"The investigation for tonight it over soldiers! Return back to Grand Chokmah until further notice!" Ordered a voice from behind him, closer to the entrance gates of Theor Forest.

Guy had wandered some ways into the deeper regions, hoping he could find the body, and with some remote chance, find him alive and save him. But it was apparent now that there was no hope. All faith of recovering them had been lost, and eventually they would turn up after the storm, when it was still too late to save them. Guy decided he'd spent enough time searching, and turned away to start back to the city, when something black caught his eye in the chasm. There was a dark maroon beneath it and flowing into the stream turning into a river in the chasm, and even more flowing from their head and tracing into the river like thousands of tiny streams.

"I found him!" Guy yelled at the top of his lungs, hoping that his voice would be carried across the howling wind and crashing rain to the men whom could hear him. "I found him!!"

Guy then turned to the man in the chasm, whomever they were, they were bleeding out more than they could stop. Even if Guy did get to him, and the soldiers took him to Grand Chokmah, there was little chance they would survive. They could be in even worse of a condition if they had been hit by the poison needles, and if so, there was definatly no chance for survival.

_At least I still have to try . . ._ Guy thought, and rushed down to the chasm.

As he reached the waters, he threw his already soaked body and wadded through the waist deep water to the wounded man, shouting out to him.

There was no answer, not even a movement. Guy's heart beat faster and faster in his chest, his throat tightened in fear, he wasn't looking forward to finding a dead and bloody body. He reached the other side of the chasm, and lurched at the man, blood sliding on his hands as he pushed himself out of the water and onto steady ground. He crawled to the person, laying them on their side. Guy stradled over his hip and grabbed their left arm. A large white glove that seemed to explode out like a mushroom up to their elbow made it to hard to feel for a pulse. Guy traced up to the persons shoulder, a gold tipped glove that extended to there armpit was beneath the first, as Guy ripped off the glove. He threw it aside, then went to their wrist, and felt for a pulse on the radial artery.

He could feel nothing, and raced up to their neck, just below their jaw, trying to feel anything else. A faint pulse bumped up and down on his finger. Guy grabbed thier face with both hands, then brang his ear to their mouth listening for breath. An even fainter sound of weezing could be heard. The person was alive at least, and could be questioned if they ever made it back to Grand Chokmah alive.

"I'm not going to let you die, hear me?" Guy said, he looked at the face covered in blood, "Not after all we've been through to find you . . ."

"Guy!" yelled a voice across the waters and from the other side of the chasm.

Guy looked behind himself to see a tall longhaired figure standing at the edge of the cliff, looking down at him. Beside him stood two armored figures, yelling at others, telling them of Guys findings. Several more joining from other areas began to surrond them. The figure standing in the middle and closest to Guy had his hair whipping around him, and the lightning illuminated his piercing red eyes. No doubt it was Jade.

"Jade! I found him!" Guy yelled back to Jade. A grin on his face, Guy turned to the man. Guy reached for their head, hoping to stop the bleeding that seemed to be pouring out from the back of their head. He began looking over the body, hoping to acess some of the wounds they'd attained. "But I don't think we can save them! They're-"

Guy suddenly froze.. He could hardly move, he could hardly breathe, it felt as if something had suddenly hit him square in the chest. His hand froze on their head, for what his hand was touching was not blood. Fear gripped at his throat and movements, and he could hardly think. Even if the person was dying and bleeding, it was a . . . .

"Guy!" Jade roared. When he gained no answer, he called again. "Guy can you hear me! Are you alright? Are they still alive!"

Still no answer. What had happened? Could it have been something so horrific that his whole body had frozen up?


	2. Chapter 2 The Necromancer's Regret

**Chapter 2: The Necromancer's Regrets **  
Guy sat hushed in one of the many chairs in the waiting room in the Mecical facility of the Malkuth Military headquarters. The screaming winds seemed to be but a mere whisper outside the heavily enforced walls of the base. But the sound of the many docters in the next room was more than audible in the hellishly silient room. Guy could hardly remember being rushed back to the city. It was all a blank memory in his mind. If it hadn't of been for Jade, he and the perosn they'd found below in the chasm would both be dead.

The human whom they'd found was in critical condition, their wounds were being accesed by the healers and the docters. Guy remembered though that halfway to the city that he'd heard someone yelling the person had stopped breathing. He doubted though that the person was going to make it, especially considering that the person was a woman.

Part of the reason Guy had frozen up was because the person had been a woman, but also because of his own carelessness. They'd discovered that the woman had been surronded by a fonic glyph, something not even Jade had sensed until coming within the radius of the area it affected. A fonic arte was triggered by the pressence of Guys own fonic frequency, or so Jade had told him. The glyph had assembled fonons that had somehow paralyzed Guy's body. Poison had been singed into his clothing, and was quickly burning it's way into his skin.

Jade was still in the forest investigating the glyph. Apparently, it was something he'd never heard of, and the ever curious man wanted to know more about it.

Guy felt a wave of shame, for in his moment of weakness he'd left himself and the woman in grave danger. If it hadn't of been for his fear the minutes that seemed like hours while staring at the dying warrior could've been prevented. He would have been able to move himself and the woman out of the glyph.

Jade had saved him, he remembered that. The Necromancer had pulled the both of them away and up to the other soldiers that immediately rushed the two back to Grand Chokmah.

Guy wasn't as concerned for himself as he'd thought. His mind was on the woman they'd found and rescued, even if the rescuee had a slim chance of surviving into the next few hours. What had happened in the forest? Did the woman encounter a beast of some sort and had attempted to fight it off? Had she been the one whom produced the poison needles and the fonic glyph?

Like a raging fire, all the questions marred into his mind. Questions in which the answers would have to wait.

Hours passed like minutes as Guy was greeted by a rain soaked Colonel Curtiss, whom had repossesed his glasses. He looked oddly distressed and hardly noticed Guy as he entered the facility outside the emergency room.

"So, did you find anything out about the glyph?" Guy asked as Jade paced back and forth in front of him. His sopping wet clothes dripping on the floor, then he stopped in front of Guy, as if he'd just realized the man was there.

"Oh, no. Not much anyway. What we have discovered though is that it was indeed formulated by whom we suspected," he said dully. Shaking his head, he brought his hand up to his forehead, brushing back his bangs he looked up at the ceiling. "Though how this fonist created it in the conditon they're in, I don't know." Jade looked down at Guy, the light polished his glasses almost seeming to hide his crimson eyes. "How is the condition of the woman?"

Guy looked down, considering Jade's words. So, the person was definately a fonist, a female fonist, and they had created the glyph most likely when they were injured. But how? "They've been in there for a few hours, ever since I got here. But the Military Healers haven't said anything about her condition, I'm worried."

"Oh well, we did what we could," Jade added, almost trying to comfort Guy.

Though it was unusual for Jade to feel any sort of regret towards anyone or anything, somehow, Guy knew this was different.

After a few moments of silience, a young man came quietly out of the emergeny room. He had splotches of blood here and there on his scrubs and gloves. Guy could only imagine how the woman was doing as this point. He wanted to ask, but saw the man was to busy removing his bloodied clothing to notice the two other men. When he did, he turned and noticed the two and nearly jumped as if he'd seen a ghost.

"Are . . . you two waiting for the woman?" He asked, and walking towards the men. He was a young man, whom surely had just come into the Military as a healer fonist. He had frizzy, long light blonde hair hanging behind him, he was of medium height with dark skin compairable to the Emperors. With his light blue eyes he looked like a regular citizen of Grand Chokmah. Though he looked unfit for his job as a healer, for his eyes held pools of unthinkable kindness.

"I am. Colonel Jade Curtiss. Is she in stable condition yet?" Jade vented rather gratingly.

The young man smiled, "Well, we do have her in a more suitable condition compaired to when she got here. Though some higher class healer fonist's are working on stablilizing her breathing, the bleeding has been clotted and her wounds have been assesed. If you like, I can explain to you in more detail of her status. You see, I've been allowed to leave, they don't need so much assistance at once any more."

Seeing as Guy was the one needing medical attention at the moment, the wounded man felt invisible between the two men..

Finally it seemed that the healer noticed Guy, and turned to look at him. "I see you have a few wounds yourself...you haven't been acesed yet?"

Guy shook his head. "No I haven't, but I'm fine, . . really." Guy said, with a forced smile, he was more than likely trying to hide the pain. "The main concern right now should be on the woman."

"Don't worry," he said, his smile was reassuring and bright despite what had probably been an unyeilding day. "She's in capable hands now, I'm sure within the hour she'll be able to breathe properly on her own. Now, how about we take a look at your wounds."

"I'm a little surprised by all this really . . .," Lieutenant Thaine said as he gently removed Guy's clothing. Cutting Guy's clothing off piece by piece, Guy could hardly remove his own garb due to the pain he caused when he moved or flexed his hands. Thaine had moved both Guy and Jade to a seperate room for the less critical cases, and had settled Guy into a bed to get his wounds looked at. Now he was beggining to explain the woman's condition. "And . . . to be honest, I'm surprised that womans even alive."

Guy flinched as Thaine pealed off Guy's gloves and sleeves. Since Guy had returned with Jade to Grand Chokmah he'd begun sporting Malkuthian attire, which he found much cooler than his usual cuffed shirt and near skin tight pants. The poison from the glyph had burned up from his hands to his elbows, and was quickly tingling up his arm to his shoulder.

"What do you mean?" Guy asked, teeth chattering from the dull coldness and the pain that was resounding throughout his body.

Thaine's smile turned into a flat look, and he shook his head. "At first her wounds were so deep, and there was so much blood, we wondered what we could possibly do for her. But Armondor-the head of the healer fonists in the Military-said there was just enough of a fonic frequency coming from her body to at least try and ressistate her."

"So, she_ was _on the borderline of death," Jade said almost to himself from across the room. Closing his eyes, he pinched his nose in thought. "That might explain the glyph . . ."

"Your mean," Thaine looked at Guy with wide eyes, and trailed off. "...these wounds were caused by a glyph?"

Guy nodded. "Yeah, but it was no ordinary glyph, there was something special about it, something different."

"So then you've been affected by the poison to," the lieutenant said. "The man that came in earlier with the needle in his foot is just starting his recovery. It looked like his foot was going to fall off, clean from his leg, but just when we were considering to amputate, it started to look fine."

"This poison is serious," Jade said, his eye's narrowing. "Who could've created something like that? They must have an intresting part of knowledge at their disposal. I have to admit, I'm looking forward to meeting this fonist."

Jade, excited? "You can't be serious, Jade!" Guy snapped. "I mean, for all we know this could've been purposely done and we're all just being used! For all we know this person could've left the needles and the glyph as a trap!" Guy hardly noticed the intensity of his own voice as he spoke, and felt he could not stop himself. "This woman, could be a disciple left over from Van, just setting us up. We can't possibly trust her, not after what we saw in the forest!"

Jade smiled, amused by the sudden vent of anger, "This is understandable," Jade said calmly, as if the younger man's tirade hadn't phased him. "Your concern of this person's intentions are perfectly natural. I myself am quite confused."

"Then you'll be happy to know," Thaine started, as he poked the needle from a syringe into Guy's arm, injecting a whitish-purple substance into the warriors body. "General Seseman has put the women on constant watch, during, and after her recovery. Now that we know she was the one whom made the needle and the glyph, she might even be put under temporary arrest until this whole thing is straightened out."

Thaine then suddenly seemed focused on Guy, "The antidonte I just gave you will dull the pain, and reduce any imflamation that may surface," he said, he placed the used needle on a tray that had many substances and dressings on it. His face looked worn out already, and it was obvious he was trying to take in the day's events just like everyone else. Though unlike everyone else, Thaine had been one of the few to have seen as much as there was to be seen. More than several soldiers, even Jade and Guy. It would take a while for the thought of something this strange to sink in as reality.

Jade appeared unsteady, his movements weren't as collected and smooth as they usually were. His body seemed fidgity, and he was constantly shifting his weight from one leg to the other softly. It was all very uncommon for the man. "So, what exactly is the damage with this woman?"

Thaine began wrapping up Guy's hands with a soft looking dressing, something that would be comfortable with Guy's hands, undoubtedly stinging with pain. "She had first degree burns all over her body, nothing really compared to everything else. She also had some fairly severe lacerations on her legs and arms, and even a few wounds that were holes that went straight through her body. But, the worst wound had to have been on her side, there was a laceration that barely missed any internal organs. Like I said though, most where in her arms and legs. It's so strange though, I can't think of anything that could cause this sort of trauma."

"Hmm," Jade stood still for a few moments looking down at his feet. He was contemplating hard about something, but neither Guy nor Thaine could really think of what might be bothering the man. The three were silient for several moments, when Jade spoke again. "I'm going to infrom his Majesty of the current events. If anyone requires my pressence, I'll be at the Palace."

_Something's not right_, Guy thought as the Colonel turned to leave the infirmiry. But he knew whatever it was, Jade would not confide in him about it, maybe Peony, but no one else.

Before he left the room, Jade turned to look at Guy, he smiled his usual surreptitious smile. "Guy, get some rest, you deserve it."

And with that, Jade was gone, leaving the two men to ponder on the Colonels thoughts.

If there was ever one definite reason Jade hated Grand Chokmah, it would be the rain. It rained almost every week, and when it did, it was always a terrible down-pour. Though when it wasn't raining, it was at times unbearably hot. Jade would've taken the heat over the rain of Grand Chokmah anyday. Now though, the rain felt comforting, beating down on his body, almost as if it were punishing him for his sins. He guessed it was because of that, he welcomed it.

Jade walked slower than he usually did to the palace, and considering the circumstances, of what had just happened. He should've been going at a considerably faster pace. But he was enjoying the rain, soaking his body down to it's very core and cleansing away his baneful doings.

It felt just as she'd said years earlier, Sometimes, when the rain falls, I think it cleanses us. Washing away all the bad things we've done. So pure, and beautiful, never alone. I wish I could be like the rain, always pure, and with someone. So I could always forgive everyone, no matter what.

Those words had never made really that much sense to Jade.

She'd said that before all of this had happened, before Jade met Luke, before Akzeriuth fell. Before a world without the Score had ever been envisioned. Despite all that'd happened though, Jade knew Auldrant had become a world that had confused many. He only wished she were here, so he could see her smiling face, and know her happy and innocent thoughts of now, to see if she were the same person. Jade didn't miss her, not to a point where it pained him. He only wished to see her one last time, just to know she had made it through everything.

Because of him though, she was gone. Gone forever somewhere he would never be able to find her. She'd probably thought he'd completely forgotten her, and in a way he had. He rarely thought of her, and when he did, it was quick, and passed as soon as he wished for it to dissapear.

Though, she'd been different. Either from the way she looked at him, and spoke his name. From the way she always stood up for him, and tried too hard to impress him. Jade never felt the same way she had. He never longed for her the way she did as a mental and physical partner. Though it was uncertain if these had been amoung her true thoughts. Jade knew her well enough to know that they very well could've been. Jade had never thought hard about it, only about what it would've been like to have her as his mental or physical parter.

Jade had never often if ever made a strong bond mentally with a woman. He usually wouldn't allow himself to be taken by a woman, not to consider anything past sex and the knowledge of having them for himself.

Though it wasn't the longing of her mental support being by him, or her actual physical being that put him in a dismal mood. It was the thought of her being at the side of another man, fufilling the other part of someone. A feeling that left him alone in his thoughts, feeling as if he'd lost a true friend, nothing more, nothing less.

He didn't want to think of how happy she would be without him there. But smiled when he knew it made her happy to be with someone instead of alone like she'd always thought she would be.

Jade hadn't noticed he'd stopped in the middle of the streets when the thunder tore him from his thoughts and into the real world again.

Maybe, it was time. Time to finally just let her go all together.

It didn't hurt in the slightest.


	3. Chapter 3 Rude Awakening

**Disclaimer**

**I own nothing of Tales of the Abyss it all belongs to Namco.**

**Chapter 3: Rude Awakening**  
When Jade arrived at the palace he was informed that Peony had already fallen alseep. Though he wasn't surprised by the Emperor, he hadn't quite predicted that this would've happened either.

_He must've fallen alseep before we even left to investigate_, Jade concluded as he entered his Majesty's living quarters.

As always the room was diguestingly dirty, filth from his own lack of personal hygiene while he took up residence alone in his quarters with his "pets". Muck and grime from his precious rappigs, and the little sense of order he had in his room only made one question. How could he live in such conditions? The only reason many in the palace-including Jade- didn't gag from the foul odor and condition from his room was because they'd all grown accustomed to it, the way a soldier might grow accustomed to the smell of blood on a battlefeild. The coppery smell replaced by the putrid yuck that seemed to linger in one's nose far after they'd left for fresh air.

Quietly he opened the door, looking in to see what little source of light that the dulled fifth fonstones provided. There he saw His Majesty laying spawled out in his bed, cuddled up to a rappig tightly latched under his arm. While the four others were sleeping throughout the room, it was hard to tell who exactly the snoring was coming from. Human, or rappig.

Jade inched himself into the room, closing the door behind him. He could see better then most in the dark, the collection of fonons that created a fonon frequency of a human became brighter in the dark because of his fonsight. Jade had been told before even that his crimson eyes would gleam in the dark at night or in dark areas. This was exspected though, considering his eyes had become the very center of hundreds of fonons joining together to aid the Colonel in times of need.

He reached the Emperors side, placing a hand on his shoulder, and shaking him lightly, "Your Majesty, bed time is over, time to wake up." Jade said in a rather cheerful voice, a voice that surprised himself even.

Peony tossed onto his side turning away from Jade. Again the Colonel shook him, "Your Majesty, this is urgent . . . . Grand Chokmah is under seige!"

As if a switch had been turned on inside the Emperor, Peony sprang from his bed, wearing nothing but his own briefs. "What . . . ?!" He questioned with a groggily, sleepy voice, "What . . .? Why? Who is . . . attacking Grand Chomah?! . . . . . Jade?"

"Oh, Your Majesty you're awake," Jade welcomed as Peony sat upright in his bed, Jade backed away, tilting his head to one side, he placed his hands in his pockets. "My, my, Peony, you look rather . . . surprised. Why, whatever is wrong?"

"Didn't you just say-" Peony started, he shot up out of his bed, and started reaching for clothes. "Grand Chokmah is under attack? Who would want to attack us? Kimlasca, but didn't that prefect little princess brat Natalia swear on her own life never to defy the peace treaty? What a liar that little-" Peony cursed as he slid on a pair of pants, and started searching for a shirt in the dark. Jade stepped carefully over piles of things to a light switch, and watched as the fonstones lit the room with delicate luminence.

"Your Majesty, you must've been dreaming. Grand Chokmah under attack? Insane, absolutely insane. You should really get those seven hours every night you know," Jade said, he walked back to his friend, " Maybe we should cut down on the drinks and the women, you know. Why don't you sit? You look very tired."

Peony stared at Jade, blank, tired, eyes gazing into the inpenatrible red eyes of his friend. He said nothing, a grim look as he seated himself back on his bed. The rappigs hadn't stirred, which Jade found quite odd after all the commotion Peony had made from jumping up from his bed like a mad man.

"But, I do bare news that I beleive is greatly consequential," Jade said, eyes narrowing.

"Well, what's so consequential that you have to wake me in the middle of the night, and tell me when I'm tyring to sleep," Peony near growled, indignace growing in his words. Something told Jade, Peony wasn't going to fall for his joke. But as he thought, Grand Chokmah had almost been under attack, and whatever had done it was still lose to do whatever it pleased, or was locked up in the infirmiry, conjuring up plans of escape.

Jade shrugged, "Well, I suppose if you see it that way, I'll just leave . . ."

"No, no!" Peony said, waving his hands at Jade, "You already woke me up, just tell me what you have to say?"

"Well," Jade began, collecting his thoughts and words carefully, "A few hours earlier when my men and I were deployed to Theor Forest due to a disturbance caused by an unknown attacker, or attackers, it would seem we came upon a strange exhibition of happenings."

Peony nodded. "Go on."

"One of our men stumbled upon a unique sort of weapon, a poisen needle. Then we found a women," Jade paused for a moment.

"And? What happened to this woman? Do you know who she is?" Peony asked, face finally awakening from his deep sleep, lite up from confusion.

"No, we haven't any idea whom she is, or if she is the attacker."

"I see, is she under surveilence?"

"Yes."

"Is she okay?"

"We're not sure, when I left the base she was still in surgery."

Peony leaned back, stretching his arms and bellowed out a loud yawn from his wide mouth. "Fine. What about you? Did anyone esle get hurt besides the woman?"

Jade nodded. "Don't concern yourself about me, I'm fine. Although one of our soldiers stepped on an artificially created poisen needle, and he was rushed to the Medical Facility for severe injuries to his leg. But the man's in good condition. Guy was caught in a fonic glyph, and is being treated right now for injuries from poisen as well."

Peony looked back up at Jade, "Guy was hurt to, huh? Well, looks like someone is going to have to walk my rappigs for the next few days."

Jade nodded. "Yes, it would appear so."

"Who or what do you think would use poisen needles and glyphs as weapons? I've never heard of anything like that, have you?" Peony asked, folding his arms he leaned back onto his bed. The rappig that had been under his arm was awake and thinking it was already time for breakfast, munching on his majesty's sheets. Peony grabbed the wholesome creature and pulled it over his head, placing it on his chest. Nose to nose, Peony snuggled the animal. "Daddy loves his little Jade doesn't he? Oh, yes he does, oh yes he does!"

Jade's face flushed slightly, and he considered turning around and leaving, but felt as if his feet were glued to the floor. He'd been sleeping with the rappig, Jade, . . . .

"Since you're sopping wet, why don't you go get one of the maids to get you a room to sleep in for tonight. Besides, I know how much you'd hate to go slogging through the rain again just to go to bed. Here you might get one of the maids to have do whatever you want," Peony said with a slight smile, he coiled back up in his bed, holding the rappig to his chest to sleep again. Peony yawned, and wavved Jade off. "When you leave turn off the lights, and make sure no one interupts me and my Jade again, ok Jade?"

Jade spun on one heel, and felt as if he were fleding the room. Toning down the lights, and closing the door as he left, Jade took up Peony's offer, and made his way into one of the many guests rooms in the palace.

He wasn't in the mood to have another womans pressence in his own. Jade didn't want to think about it anymore, he was tired of his thoughts lingering. He wanted to forget, go on and forget her forever, but for the past seven years, that had seemed all but impossible.

When he reached the guest room, he entered, then locked the door. The room was nice, it was a large as his living quarters at the Military Base, maybe a bit smaller. Everything was blue, the walls, the fonstones, the farbics, everything. It had a neatly carved wooden desk at the entrance, and a nicely furbhised queen sized bed that made Jade want to colaspe from the mere look of comfort it would accomadate. He removed his wet drenched clothing, folding them up in a nice neat pile, and putting them neatly atop a towel that he set on a chair in the guest room. He walked into the bathroom, where he froze when his own reflection caught himself in the mirror.

Jade looked over himself. Studying the definite lines and mucles covering his body. He wasn't particularly built like other soldiers, he was strong no doubt, and had very little body fat if none. His arms were well built, and his chest was broad and firm. He was a little skinnier then most men, and his face wasn't exactly the most handsome anyone had ever seen. But it had always seemed to be enough for any woman he met. All of him, every single last inch of his body. Sometimes he wondered what it was that made him attractive, and sometimes he thought it was probably the promise of a "good time" and a few drinks.

His crimson eyes bored into his body, and after a few moments at staring into nothing, he turned away and took a warm shower. It was the least he deserved after such a cold, wet mission. After he was done bathing, he slipped into the bed, naked considering there were no dry clothes for him to have. Quickly drifting off into sleep, Jade could only ponder about the day's events.


End file.
